COASTLINES LINES VOLUME 25 // ISSUE 1 // Spring 2025
FUNDRAISING
GOAL MET!
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n early January, we were excited to announce that we had reached our goal of raising nearly $8 million to purchase and permanently protect the South End of Topsail Island. Private donors contributed more than $1.5 million to the Save the South End campaign. The rest of the funding has been approved through grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, North Carolina Land and Water Fund, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. When we launched this project in March 2024, we knew it was an ambitious undertaking – one that would not be possible without the support of the community. We are grateful for the more than 760 donors, dozens of community volunteers, local businesses, and federal, state, and nonprofit partners who have contributed to the campaign. Since completing the fundraising for the project, our staff has been working on all of the due diligence associated with purchasing the South End and placing it in permanent conservation protection. This includes preparing to own and manage the property for up to one year before it is ultimately transferred to the State of North Carolina to be managed by the Division of Coastal Management. We look forward to completing this project and celebrating this huge conservation victory in the weeks to come.
HISTORICAL AND ECOLOGICAL TREASURE
IN BERTIE COUNTY PROTECTED
“The Town of Windsor is excited by the collaborative effort with Coastal Land Trust...,” stated Lewis Hoggard, Mayor of Windsor. “The cultural and recreational value of the property to the citizens of Windsor and for visitors to Bertie County cannot be underestimated.”
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he Coastal Land Trust completed the purchase of the historic 313-acre Hoggard’s Millpond property in Bertie County in December. The Coastal Land Trust began work on this project in 2016 and is thrilled to see it cross the finish line. Located near the Town of Windsor, the property features 2.2 miles of frontage along each side of Hoggard’s Mill Run and has numerous historic and ecological values. After the purchase, the Coastal Land Trust transferred ownership of the property to the Town of Windsor which plans to create and manage a public nature and historic park on the property. The Town plans to develop park amenities within a 27-acre portion of the prop-
Photo credit: John Rudolph
erty, with the remaining 286 acres preserved under conservation restrictions Historically, the site was the first Bertie County seat (circa 1722 to 1769), known as the “Lost Town of Cashy” where a courthouse, jail, and other buildings were located. The property later hosted a millpond (believed to be the first millpond constructed in the state) that supported both a grain and sawmill which was operated from the late 1700’s until about 1934. Importantly, the dam and water control structure on the property drained 22 square miles and controlled water flow extending 8 miles upstream, making the property of utmost importance for flood control purposes. HOGGARD’S, continued on page 3
ADDITIONAL ACRES PROTECTED ALONG NEWPORT RIVER
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he Coastal Land Trust is proud to have protected an additional 593 acres of land along the Newport River in Carteret County. Purchased from Weyerhaeuser Company in November, the property was subsequently transferred to the North Carolina Coastal Federation for long-term management and restoration.
We are weeks away from purchasing and permanently protecting this slice of paradise. Photo Credit: Gavin Shwahla
CoastalLandTrust.org
This is the second phase of a conservation partnership between the Coastal Land Trust, Coastal Federation, and U.S. Marine Corps Air Station – Cherry Point to protect and restore
land along the Newport River. The first phase, completed in 2023, protected 1,436 acres located just downstream from this newest conservation project (featured in the Summer 2024 edition of Coastlines). Connecting conservation lands is one of the Coastal Land Trust’s core priorities as each successive connected property expands existing protected wildlife habitat and creates conservation corridors. This spectacular property lies adjacent to the Coastal NEWPORT, continued on page 7
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